Dec. 21, 2011

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -

ESPN Regional Television (ERT),a subsidiary of ESPN,joins with the Mountain West Conference (MW),to send a team to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl for the 2012 and 2013 games. The move comes as the University of Hawaii transitions to the Mountain West next season from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

"ERT is pleased to reach agreement with the Mountain West to be affiliated with the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl for the next two years," said Pete Derzis,Senior Vice President and General Manager,ERT. "Aligning the interests of Hawaii,our many sponsors and the Mountain West is a great move for the long-term success of the bowl and should prove to be beneficial to all."

"As we celebrate the first 10 years of the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl,we also look to the future," said David Matlin,Executive Director of the bowl. "With the University of Hawai'i moving to the Mountain West in 2012, the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl is proud to announce an affiliation with the MW that will allow the Warriors opportunities,when eligible,to continue participating in a game that means so much,to so many in the islands."

"We are very pleased to announce this agreement to participate in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl,which brings us back to five bowls slots and matches our number of bowl-eligible teams from the most recent five consecutive seasons" said Commissioner Craig Thompson. "This progressive step is also part of our institutions' blueprint for the future. It is a natural extension of the University of Hawai'i's membership,which begins next season,and our long, productive relationship with ESPN Regional Television."

Under this new arrangement,a team from the Mountain West will be the new opponent for Conference USA,which has been associated with the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl since its inception in 2002.

ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation's largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming,ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football,basketball and Olympic sports,NHRA and professional and amateur golf,accounting for more than 3,400live and/or original hours of programming. ERT's owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.

In addition to event ownership,ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC,BIG EAST,Big 12,Mid-American,WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.

ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:

Collegiate Football
Beef `O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque);Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando,Fla.) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards

Collegiate Basketball
76 Classic (Anaheim,Calif.); State Farm Champions Classic (Madison Square Garden; debuts 2011);DIRECTV Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando,Fla.); 5-hour ENERGY Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); RAMADA All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) and Sears BracketBusters Collegiate Lacrosse ESPNU Warrior Classic Additional Events Hawaiian Islands Invitational (Soccer) and ESPN National Golf Challenge

For more information,visit ESPNPlus.com.

The Mountain West Conference
From its inception in 1999,the Mountain West Conference has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics,while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach,the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level,while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 13th year,the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. Currently,the Mountain West Conference is comprised of eight Division I institutions: The United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University,Colorado State University,University of New Mexico,San Diego State University,TCU,UNLV,and the University of Wyoming. California State University,Fresno and the University of Nevada,Reno will join the Mountain West effective July 1,2012. Also on July 1,2012,the University of Hawai`i will become a football-only member of the Conference.

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